Various devices which supply power, such as batteries and solar modules (i.e. solar panels), operate under a variety of conditions. For example, a curve of a load on a battery can be steep during startup of a device the battery is powering, which then levels off after startup. Solar modules can operate under a wide variety of power conditions depending on cloud levels, efficiency of individual cells in the solar module, maintenance conditions of the module, etc.
In a conventional solar module, for example, a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) cells which convert light energy into electricity are typically arranged in series. An advantage of connecting the cells in series is that power produced by each cell can be efficiently routed for immediate use or to a battery for storage. One problem with a series arrangement is that a cell which has decreased efficiency or is otherwise malfunctioning can adversely affect the remaining cells in the series. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/470,325 titled “Switchable Solar Cell Devices” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/470,351 titled “Connection Systems and Methods for Solar Cells,” each filed May 21, 2009 and incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describe methods and structures for overcoming various problems associated with a series arrangement of cells.
It should be noted that some details of the FIGS. have been simplified and are drawn to facilitate understanding of the inventive embodiments rather than to maintain strict structural accuracy, detail, and scale.